Cash Mob to inject local dollars into Winchester business

WINCHESTER — A local business will be “mobbed” today as dozens of shoppers pour into the shop, each armed with $20 and a desire to support local businesses.

It’s all part of Winchester Civic Group’s new Cash Mob program.

Interested shoppers will gather at 10 a.m. at the Community Outreach Center in Winchester, where the target business will be announced.

“We do work with the business ahead of time,” Winchester Civic Group board member Jackie Kuchy said. “We don’t want to show up unannounced. There were some businesses worried that we would mob them without any warning. We’re just trying to get people to support their local businesses.”

The project was born out of Winchester’s involvement with Western Illinois University’s Management and Planning Programs Involving Non-metropolitan Groups (MAPPING) program, which helps municipalities develop a strategic vision and plan for their community.

The group’s Retail and Dining Committee was formed out of the MAPPING program and, having been advised by WIU that the Cash Mob program had been successful in other communities, committee members set to work adapting a Cash Mob for Winchester.

This will be thecommunity’s second Cash Mob event. The first saw 35 shoppers hit Dorseys Sentry Hardware Co. Each shopper spent at least the minimum of $20 but many spent a fair bit more than the minimum, Kuchy said.

“You do the math on that and that was a pretty big chunk of profit for a small business,” Kuchy said.

Over the course of the year, a Cash Mob event will happen about every two months and there are plans to patronize restaurants in a similar manner, Kuchy said.

The program’s end goal is to inject into local businesses local dollars that then will circulate out into the local economy. Those interested in participating in future mobs should watch the Winchester Civic Group’s Facebook page at bit.ly/2xWdRNv, where future dates will be announced.

“We’re really proud of the progress that we’re making in Winchester,” Kuchy said. “We have the cooperative market that’s going to be opening soon, we have some businesses that are bringing life back to our downtown, there are some beautification initiatives going on, there are some really good things that are going to come out of our efforts.”

Nick Draper can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1223, or on Twitter @nick_draper.